Arucas

Arucas is in the north of Gran Canaria and it’s a suburb of Las Palmas. Situated in the valleys and mountains, Arucas is well worth a visit. The “Jardin de la Marquesa de Arucas” is a Botanical Garden where you can see more than five hundred types of plants.

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The San Juan Bautista church is a social and architecturally interesting monument. This building is made entirely of local stone from Arucas by local stonemasons and it is more than a hundred years old. Check out the stained glass windows and carved stone heads.

Photo by Jonaycp

Arucas was destroyed in the fifteenth century and totally rebuilt. Since the rebuild, the main crop of the area has been sugarcane. Rum has been produced in the area long before Cuba had sugar plantations and you might like to visit the rum factory while you’re in Arucas.

Photo by Housyd

Wheat and barley were the main crops of the area before this time. Cereals, cocoa, bananas and wine have also been produced here.

Arucas was famous in the latter part of the 1800s because of its cochinilla beetle. These beetles, which feed off the cactus pear, are crushed to produced cochineal, a red dye.

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There are schools, churches, gyms, a post office, squares and even a cathedral in Arucas. No visit to Arucas is complete without visiting the rum factory where they make various types of rum (including a 20 year old one). You can sample the rum and perhaps buy a bottle of Arehucas rum to take home with you.